How to forward ports for a Halo Dedicated Server

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This is how to forward ports for Halo DS


I`m posting this cause I often get asked what to do when no one can join the DS when using an Internet connection in a small wireless home network. You will need to forward ports to dedicate a server for halo when you use a router. Here is a microsoft link with the important facts about it. As I use to do this the How to Guide brings you step by step with pictures to the goal.


There are three things to do:

• Set a static IP address
  
• Forward the ports
  
• Change the network ports in Halo
  

1.Set a static IP address

Be sure before you start that you have set a static IP for the PC you want to run the DS from. You can do this in the router menu. (Sadly I haven`t found a helping site as forward.com that shows step by step how to set one so you need to find that out by yourself. If you can`t then set the IP address you just have but you will maybe have a new one when you log in again on your home network.)
Next is to forward the ports. If you know how to do this then jump points 2 to 5 and go ahead with 6.



Guide to use Portforward.com and Forward Ports


2. Visit Portforward.com

On this site you can get help to forward ports. portforward.com. This is the link to this site. Picture - Homepage portforward.com


3. Router Model

Scroll down and choose your router model on that main page.
Mine is a Netgear/WGR614v6. Picture - Choose router model And then chancel the next commercial Picture - cancel commercial


4. Choose Game

On the next page choose the game you want to forward ports for which is Halo in this case. Picture - choose game


5. Follow the introductions

The guide there shows screens from you router model setup windows.
Follow them step by step and forward the ports. Here is an example for my Netgear WGR614v6 Router:
Picture - WGR614v6 Router Menu
Picture - WGR614v6 Forward Ports
Picture - WGR614v6 forwarded ports


6. Ports that needed to be forwarded

As you can read in the Microsoft link above , these ports needed to be opened:

• 80 (Transmission Control Protocol [TCP]) - Halo looks to see if there is a Halo update available. (Update Download Port)
  
• 2302 (User Datagram Protocol [UDP]) - the game host listens on this port.
  
• 2303 (UDP) - the game client connects to the game host through this port.
  

7. Change the network ports in Halo

If you have more than one account than you need to change the network settings for each account you want to play in the DS with.

This are the default Network settings:

• server on 2303
  
• and client on 2304

How to change them:

• Start Halo, in main menu click on settings
  
• in Settings click on network settings
  
• Change to this new ports : server 2304 and client 2305 , then save